


season of the witch

by winterbitch (WinterLadyy)



Series: witch bucky [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Bucky Barnes, First Meetings, Folklore, Gen, M/M, Magic, Magical Bond, Mild Gore, Reincarnation, Witch Bucky Barnes, Witchcraft, kind of its complicated, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22105624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterLadyy/pseuds/winterbitch
Summary: Tony knows that he has to thank the witch that freed him from his father's abuse, and All Soul's Day seems like the perfect day. Yet, when he meets him, it seems like they already know each other and Tony can't tear his eyes away from him.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: witch bucky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591141
Comments: 3
Kudos: 155





	season of the witch

**Author's Note:**

> copied from tumblr, but i love it. a LOT of slavis folklore vibes here

Everything seems black and white in the light of the moon. That’s how the village is on All Soul’s Day and Tony is used to it by now. The air is always thick with magic and everything is cold, no matter how sunny the day is. **  
**

When the veil between worlds is so thin, everything is cold. 

He breathes out and watches as the air dances in front of him, faint marks against the stark black of the night. Something pulls the air towards the forest, as always, an ancient song and that empty laughter echoing between the trees. 

Tony just stands next to someone’s house and watched as the people prepare. The bonfire is gathered, tables are settled, people ate getting dressed, but everything is done in silence. No one is eager to attract ghosts by speaking too loudly. 

Tony is a man of logic, but he remembers his father. 

Remembers the night he disappeared. 

Remembers lighting a candle at 3 am and begging for the witch to take his father, to make him stop hurting Tony. He remembers being 8 years old and watching the shadows grow thicker, the air colder. 

He remembers leaving a pretty offering at the edge of the forest and coming back the next day to a pile of feathers in its place. 

Tony is a man of logic, but he’s not stupid. He believes in the witch. He believes in ghosts that crawl on Earth during the All Soul’s Day. 

He also never saw the witch, which is why he wants to do it. 

Without telling Jarvis he sneaked out of the castle and rode to the village, the closest one to the witch’s house. Everything is ready - the bonfire is lit, blue flowers everywhere, and a faint frost settling over the grass. 

Their witch is old and cold and powerful and Tony can’t wait to see him. 

When everyone is busy with the bonfire, welcoming the spirits, Tony hops on his horse and sets into the forest. On his way, he passes the house of Old Margaret - a woman who used to bring Tony salves for his bruises. He stops there for a second and looks at her all, shaking frame. 

She steps closer and presses a bundle into Tony’s hands. “Give him this, sag it’s from Peggy. He’ll know.”

Tony just nods. A song filters through the air as if rejoicing at the mere mention of Peggy. The old woman laughs as the wind sweeps through her hair and for a second, Tony sees someone else in her place - a young fierce lady with hard eyes and a kind smile. Not much has changed. 

He starts riding again, but she calls after him. 

“Be careful, Tony. It is the season of the witch. “

For some reason, the words send a shiver down his spine. Every 13 years there is a season of the witch, the time when the magic is the strongest; when witches can perform the most powerful spells, cast whole lands under their control. 

As he rides further into the forest, Tony can almost taste the metallic taste of the magic that is soaking the air. It’s thrilling, to slowly ride through the forest and hear the animals awaken. From the corner of his eye, he can see glowing figures, sudden sweeps of cold, inaudible whispers. He tightens his hold on the reins and convinces himself to keep going. He’s 21 and he will meet the witch. 

Soon, the chill settles into his bones. 

No matter how warm his coat is, Tony still feels like he’s freezing, and each gust of the wind only makes him shiver more. His horse is nervous too, looking around as if expecting a pack of wolves to attack them. Tony knows it won’t happen. 

No predator dares to hunt on the All Soul’s Day. 

Before he knows it, Tony has to leave his horse behind and walk on foot. The ground is saturated with water, even though it hasn’t rained and there’s no lake in the near vicinity. Must be the magic then. 

He walks closer to the place where they say the house is, but soon the fog starts to appear and thicken, making it impossible to get any sense of direction. 

Tony’s breathing speeds up, but he’s determined, so he walks further and further, trying not to stumble. The water rises and soon he’s ankle-deep in it and the cold seeps into his feet, but he still keeps going. He needs to thank the witch. 

Then, something changes. 

The air becomes absolutely freezing and the fog clears instantly, unveiling a lake. A lake that’s never been there, with a small island, perfectly in the middle. The water looks silver in the moonlight, aside from the coast where it seems like the shadows are trying to steal some of the lake away. 

Tony’s breathing stops when he finally notices the lone figure standing on the other side of the lake, cloaked in the shadows. He instantly knows. 

This is the witch. 

His heartbeat speeds up when the witch’s eyes focus on him. Even from the distance, he can see how they’re glowing pale blue, eerie and knowing. Tony doesn’t say anything, paralyzed with fear. Every muscle in his body is tight with tension, prepared to bolt, but then the witch nods at him and something changes. 

The water in front of him changes colour until it’s black as the shadows. The witch nods at him again, as if beckoning him closer, and while he doesn’t take orders from anyone, Tony isn’t dumb. He has to answer the call. 

Without thinking about it, Tony steps on the water and gasps when his feet meet solid ground. He keeps walking, not looking around, focused on his steps, and before he knows it, Tony’s on the island. 

The ground there feels wrong somehow as if someone sullied it, and he almost gags when he sees what it is - a totem made out of people. 

Too many heads. Too many limbs. 

He doesn’t dare to take a step back and then the witch is next to him, still clouded by darkness. He’s tall, taller than Tony, and broad. He wars the shadows as if they’re made for him and when the witch reaches out with one hand, Tony can see that the flesh is rotten - black and twisted, with claws in place on nails. 

He doesn’t gag. 

“A brave one, aren’t you?” the witch asks, in a voice that’s neither male nor female. There are hundredths of voices in that one voice, all echoing and screeching, some young, some old, some male, some female. Tony feels a shiver go down his spine that has nothing to do with the cold. 

“I have a gift for you,” he says instead, voice fairly steady. Tony’s stubbornly ignoring the human totem. “From Peggy.”

The witch laughs and this time, there’s only once voice. Male and rough, but somehow melodic. Tony’s insides quiver. 

“Ah yes, Peggy. Is she still as fierce?”

“Yes. She helped me with my father. As did you.” Tony pauses, looking for words. “Thank you.”

The witch nods again, before walking closer to the totem. He seems angry, and Tony just has to ask. 

“Did you make it?”

The witch scoffs. “No. The villagers did.”

For a second, Tony doesn’t know how to answer. The villagers… 

“Now I must lead those poor souls home.”

With that, the witch reaches out with one hand and something rises from the lake. That silver-blue hue appears around him and the shadows escape, showing Tony the witch for the first time - male and handsome with long brown hair threaded with raven feathers and beads. Braided. Glowing eyes surrounded by blackened veins and full lips. 

He’s absolutely beautiful. 

The magic spreads through the air, igniting a fire in Tony’s belly, and touches the totem. Slowly, one by one, souls begin to appear. It’s not the first time Tony saw a soul, but these ones are different, more solid. 

They all kneel in front of the witch, and he smiles. The smile changes his whole face, making it almost glow. Tony swallows dryly. 

“It’s time,” the witch says. “Go home.”

At once, they all walk towards the lake and submerge in it. The water glows, just like the souls, and the witch holds the power for a second, bright and eerie and echoing through Tony’s bones. His black, tattered clothes flap in the wind, and for a second, he flickers from view. 

In his place, appear hundreds of other people. All genders, all ages, all glowing and adjourned with raven feathers. Some have black eyes, some have glowing skin, but they’re all one and the same. 

It’s breathtaking and Tony steps a bit closer, feels the coldness of the magic against his skin. When he reaches with one hand, a black hand catches his wrist. 

Tony gasps and his eyes widen when the witch, back to his previous form, brings him closer. He can feel feathers and dead leaves against his clothes, rustling and crumbling as his chest presses against the witch’s. 

“Call me James, brave one,” the witch says, his voice now warm and soothing. That same black hand touches his cheek, cupping it gently and Tony leans into the touch, guided by an invisible force. 

“I’m Tony,” he says, breathless. 

In answer, the witch, James, laughs. “I know. I always know.”

James changes his position until Tony can watch as the totem crumbles into ash and a cold wind swirls them around until they too hit the water. Tony just watches, enchanted and breathless, stunned by the effortless magic that feels so heavy in his bones. 

“We’ll meet again, Tony. Maybe this time you’ll remember,” James says and lays one hand on the centre of his chest. 

It burns and it doesn’t he when his hand starts to glow with bright blue flame, and when Tony wakes up at the edge of the forest, there’s a blue flower pressed there. A gift from James. 

The next time they meet, Tony does remember. 

James doesn’t. 


End file.
